The Mind Numbing Ponderings Of A Pulpit Preacher

It is generally accepted that the human being has a body, mind, and soul. Even though the Greek word for soul is psyche, modern psychology has had very little to say about the soul, choosing to concentrate more on the mind and behavior.

Prayer is the communication of the soul. Prayer Therapy helps us use our own spirituality to inform and transform.

The first thing you need to do is to get yourself a “Prayer Journal”. This can be anything from a spiral notebook to pieces of scrap paper. The following steps will help you utilize this to it’s full potential.

1. Get a prayer journal

2. Wright your prayers as if you are writing a letter.

3. Don’t worry about the language you use. Don’t try to sound “churchy” with “thee’s” and “thou’s” . Don’t be overly formal.

4. Pray for anything that is on your heart. You may feel the need to express deep dark emotions; this is perfectly fine. Jesus is our example of this. Many times he expressed his negative and hurt feelings in prayer. The secret is to always end with a positive thought. On one occasion Jesus expressed his angst and emotional distress with the phrase “Let this cup pass from me”. In so doing he poured out his feelings of remorse and sorrow but he ended with a positive thought; “Not my will but yours be done”. We must do the same. Those deep dark emotions, those feelings of despair and depression should be shared with God.

5. Keep your journal with you at all times. When you feel overwhelmed read what you have said to God. Pray some more, writing it down as you go.

When life overwhelms you when you are engulfed in fear, when you feel empty and without purpose, this is a sign that your soul has been hurt. Changing your thinking or behavior can be helpful, but what you really need is a tonic for our soul. Prayer is that tonic.

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As Christians, we are called to proclaim the message of Christ to unbelievers to the best of our abilities, being faithful to the truth. That’s really all that Peter did at Pentecost (Acts 2 14-36), but his speech produced dramatic results: this small band of 12 men encouraged 3000 unbelievers that day (Acts 2:41).

In the same way each of us needs to take advantage of opportunities to share this same message. What we say and how we act will reflect the nature of our faith. We may not sound as impressive as Peter or a trained minister; but at least our message will be authentic if we abide in truth.

Notice that it was not Peter who called for an immediate response. Only after those in the audience had been “cut to the heart” did they feel convicted to act (Acts2:37). It was then that Peter explained to them that mere belief was not enough, they must take action. (Acts2:38).

In the same way we need to help others to understand God’ purpose before we press them to make a choice. We should strive for impact and understanding before pressing for a decision. That might take days, weeks or even years. Then again, it may take just a few moments.

Action and Re-action:

You can’t force a person to be a Christian anymore than you can force a dog to be a cat. But, unlike a dog or cat a person can chose to change. In verse 38 Peter urges them to “repent”. Have you ever considered what this word really means? Its meaning is quite simple. It means to turn away. Yep, that’s it. That all it means. Of course they must be something to turn away from.

This “turning away” is part of our Re-action to God’s truth and purpose. Unless we willfully turn away from aspects of life that are in conflict with God’s purpose it doesn’t matter how much we believe.

Of course, with every “turning away” there must be a “turning toward”. Peter did not end with belief or even repentance. He validated a “turning toward” God. Within Peter’s response to the crowd’s plea for action he presented to them the method by which they could enter. Simply changing your direction in life means little if a new direction is not chosen. Of course we are speaking of baptism and its purpose (Acts 2:38).